Abril Bookstore’s Music Nights presents -ian Guitar Duo in Concert

PARDY MINASSIAN, born in Aleppo, Syria, is a classically trained composer and guitarist. Pardy’s love and passion to music was discovered at a very young age. To develop her talent, she started attending Parsegh Ganachian Music School in Aleppo. She graduated in 2012 and received a certificate in music and guitar performance. In the same year she moved to Armenia and began her studies at the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan as a composition student. During the years of her undergraduate studies, Pardy has participated in numerous festivals and received multiple recognition and awards. As an outstanding young composer and fine guitarist, she was selected to participate in several local and international composition festivals. Such appearances included: Georgian and Armenian Young Musicians Seminars Series in Dilijan/Armenia, Terteryan International Music Festival in Armenian and Republic of Artsakh. Pardy is also multiple award winner in several competitions. She received the second prize at the prestigious Sayat Nova International Composition Competition in 2018 held in New York/US, in addition of Carnegie Hall Award. Her winning composition “Lour Da Lour” will be premiered in Carnegie Hall in New York on December 6, 2019. Pardy is pursuing her master’s in guitar at the Yerevan Conservatory. Meanwhile, she holds teaching position at the Sayat Nova Music School in Yerevan.

SARO BABIKIAN was born in Damascus, Syria in 1995 and started playing the classical guitar at age 10. He attended the Solhi Al-Wadi Conservatory of Music in Damascus. In 2012 he performed at the Damascus Opera House in a concert hosted by the Ministry of Culture, for outstanding students of the conservatory. Later that same year he moved to Los Angeles and continued his guitar studies with the renowned Armenian guitarist Sarkis Turgutyan. In 2015 he was admitted to the University Of Southern California Thornton School Of Music Classical Guitar Program under the instruction of Scott Tennant and William Kanengiser. He graduated with honors with his BM degree in classical guitar in 2018 and been awarded scholarship from USC Thornton to continue his master’s studies in classical guitar performance. Saro has participated in numerous masterclasses with renowned musicians and guitarists such as David Russell, Pepe Romero and Paul O’Dette. Saro was also awarded several awards in various guitar competitions such as 2nd prize at the Gohar and Ovanes Andriassian Classical Guitar Competition in. 1st prize at Intentional music competition in Serbia. Saro was invited as a guest artist to the 3rd Yerevan International Guitar Festival for in Yerevan, Armenia in 2017. In February 2019 he appeared as a Guest Soloist with the Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra. Saro writes and arranges original works for the guitar. Saro has excellent experience in teaching music and guitar to young as well as adult students.